Development Corporation
The board of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has approved an investment of ₹25 crore in Raptee Energy under the TIDCO Startup Investment Policy 2025. These investments mark the first deployments under the policy and signal the Government of Tamil Nadu’s decision to directly support high-potential startups emerging from the State’s deep-tech and advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
Approval letters were handed over by TRB Rajaa, Minister for Industries, to Dinesh Arjun, CEO and Co- Founder of Raptee Energy. This investment represents a broader institutional shift led by the Department of Industries to strengthen Tamil Nadu’s startup financing ecosystem. It also reflects the State’s focus on supporting innovative companies in frontier sectors such as electric mobility and advanced technologies.
Dinesh Arjun, CEO & Co-Founder, Raptee Energy
“Having TIDCO as a direct investor is a historic first for any state in the country, and it provides Raptee with the institutional credibility to compete on a global stage. This milestone would not have been possible without the forward-thinking leadership of the Honourable Chief Minister Thiru MK Stalin and the hands-on encouragement of the Industries Minister Dr. TRB Rajaa. From our early days to this significant backing, the Minister has personally championed our mission, providing the guidance and ecosystem support necessary for a deep-tech startup to thrive. We are proud to be building world-class electric motorcycles in Tamil Nadu, fueled by a government that truly believes in the power of homegrown innovation.”
TRB Rajaa, Minister for Industries
“Since 2024, we have been working on reimagining TIDCO’s role in the Department of Industries. Making Tamil Nadu a ‘Product Nation’ has been the ambition of the Honourable Chief Minister, and my personal target, for two years. To lay the foundation for that target, we rebranded TIDCO as a ‘Venture Catalyst’ – the first step towards reforming the organisation into a robust investment arm of the government that helps secure the state’s future in sunrise sectors. With these investments, we have opened a brand new chapter
in TIDCO’s journey with the ambition to recreate the success of our early investments, like the one in TITAN, across many more promising startups.”
Arun Roy, Secretary, Department of Industries
“Under this policy, TIDCO has been authorised to invest up to ₹25 crore in eligible startups across sunrise sectors such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, aerospace and defence, semiconductors, medical electronics, advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, blockchain and quantum computing, agro and food processing, technical textiles and speciality chemicals. The policy enables investments across the startup lifecycle, from early-stage innovation to scale and expansion, ensuring that high-growth Tamil Nadu companies have access to patient capital within the State.”
